Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 357 Die Here

Under the sunlight, the two adversaries silently faced each other.

One person knelt on the ground, panting heavily, utterly weak.

One person stood there stunned, his mind reeling.

Finally, Thales let out a breath: the aftereffects of forcibly using the Sin of the River of Hell were slowly fading away.

Compared to six years ago, when he would faint every time the Sin of the River of Hell descended, Thales smiled with relief.

Look.

Although it can't be improved...

But with practice and habit, it's still possible to do it.

During the catastrophe in Dragon City six years ago, Black Sword, that terrifying man who could rival a magic master, told Thales: The Sin of the River of Hell can exist in any form, and can be described as an omnipotent power of ending.

For a long time, Thales had no opportunity to put this statement into practice.

It wasn't until one outdoor training session, after Nicolai knocked him down again, that he accidentally activated his Hell Senses and clearly observed the needle-like silvery-white finishing power within the other's body.

And he tried to invoke the sins of the River of Hell, imitating that magical power of ending—the Fold of Fate.

Now, Thales looked at the enemy before him and smiled with difficulty: six years of deliberately concealing his abilities had finally achieved the desired effect.

Under the sun, Nikolai remained motionless, still in shock.

It was as if I had fallen into the greatest confusion of my life.

The Meteorite was frozen in place, gasping for breath in disbelief: "How could this be... That was... that was something I could only occasionally awaken on the battlefield..."

“A twist of fate… even his name was something he came up with on the spur of the moment…”

"You were only in training sessions..."

Just now.

Thales roared in fury!

"Ahhh!"

He threw aside his longsword and charged toward Nikolai with a ferocious expression!
Nikolai trembled slightly. Although he was still immersed in shock, his battle awareness, honed through countless trials, allowed him to react without hesitation.

"boom!"

Nikolai coldly swung his arm, and Gerketails' fist flew towards him.

The next moment, the Meteorite attacked with both hands!
"Boom!"

At his last gasp, Thales felt a sharp pain in his chest, his forward momentum faltered, and the next second, Nikolai's Rising Sun Saber appeared at his throat.

Six years later, feeling the faint coolness of the same weapon pressed against the same spot, the weakened Thales could only sigh softly.

"what happened?"

Nikolai recovered from his shock and looked coldly at the prince before him: "The Fold of Fate... it is completely different from any finishing power trained through any system. You cannot learn it from any swordsmanship or technique!"

A gentle breeze swept across this tranquil place, whistling over the rocks and carrying with it a mournful howl, along with the distant calls of birds.

“Ha,” Thales forced a smile, “is it really that strange?”

"after all……"

He casually raised his trembling hand and flicked the blade in front of his neck, as if it were just a pleasant outing.

"I'm a top student under the Meteorite, and you beat me up several times a week... what a good student."

Nikolai's expression turned cold.

He sheathed his blade and grabbed Thales by the collar.

"I'm warning you one last time..."

Just then, Thales suddenly raised his finger, interrupting him.

“Shh—listen,” Thales smiled with satisfaction, as if he were truly listening attentively:
"The bird call—it's the sound of a gray magpie."

Nikolai was slightly taken aback.

"what?"

But in an instant, a terrifying shiver ran through Nikolai's entire body!
The Meteorite's expression changed drastically!
That's the intuition of a battle-hardened warrior.

He instinctively turned to turn around!

But Thales doesn't think so.

The prince, who was prepared, suddenly raised his hands and firmly gripped the shoulders of the meteorite!

Don't let him leave the spot!

Nikolai, who was halfway around, was suddenly grabbed, his expression changing drastically: "You—"

He didn't go on.

A terrifying muffled thud suddenly appeared beside their ears:

"laugh!"

Thales was pleased to see that, with the sound, Nicolai in front of him jolted violently, his face suddenly stiffening.

The expression on the meteorite's face twisted from shock to ferocity, and then from ferocity to rage!
"boom!"

He threw a powerful punch with his left hand, striking Thales hard in the chest!

The prince was sent flying like a broken sandbag, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Then, with a contorted expression, Nikolai's knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground!
The Meteorite seemed to stiffen his right side, and the Rising Sun Saber limply slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

His trembling lips parted, releasing a frantic and agonizing roar:

"Ugh... ahhh—"

The meteorite clenched his left fist tightly and slammed it heavily against the rock beside him!
"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Punch after punch, Nikolai, kneeling on the ground, his face contorted in rage, pounded the earth as if he had a grudge against the rock beside him, continuing to roar in fury and madness: "Aaaah—"

It looked as if he was enduring some kind of pain.

Thales coughed up a mouthful of blood, enduring the excruciating pain in his chest, and shook his head.

But he was pleased to see that a thin arrow shaft had suddenly appeared on the back of the fallen star.

The thin arrow pierced deep into Nikolai's right back, leaving a jagged, sharp arrowhead in his chest, dripping blood drop by drop.

The Meteorite suddenly raised its head, its bloodshot eyes shooting out terrifying flames, and roared furiously:

"Ahhh—Ned Monty!"

"You son of a bitch!"

His roar echoed across the barren rocky ground and reverberated between the crevices of the rocks.

I don't know when it started, but the birdsong has disappeared.

Only the mournful sound of the wind remains.

Thales took a breath, closed his eyes, and completely relaxed.

He won the duel with Nikolai.

Seize every opportunity, hold onto every piece of the pie...

Thales coughed up a mouthful of blood in pain, then burst into laughter.

Yes, the prince's only chance of winning this duel is that Nikolai's opponent has never been just him alone.

The Meteorite's roar turned into painful groans and muffled moans as he tried to reach for the arrow—but the wound was in such a treacherous spot that Nikolai couldn't touch it at all.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

From behind some rock, a voice both of them recognized like a booming gong, hoarse and sinister: "Be careful, Lord Nicolai, don't move, especially your right hand—that's a barbed arrow."

"The more you move, the more you get hurt."

The hidden man let out a low laugh.

Nikolai, kneeling on the ground, still had his right arm trembling. He supported himself with his left hand, stared with bloodshot eyes, and gritted his teeth: "Big Mouth!"

"You can't run away!"

We will tear you to pieces!

Monty's cold laughter came again from behind the rocks, seemingly out of nowhere: "Oh? You guys?"

"You mean Lum and Gella, who are acting as support sentries, half a mile to the north..."

"Still from the northeast, those two new guards I don't recognize?"

Nikolai's eyes froze.

Monty, hidden in the shadows, burst out laughing: "Don't worry, I've already 'taken care' of the four of them—and I've left a mark for the people further back, so they won't be coming this way."

The meteorite was jolted, a chill running through him:
"take care of?"

Thales gasped for breath, feeling a little better, and struggled to sit up, reaching for his sword and shield.

A whistle rang out from the surrounding area.

Monty's voice seemed to move around, sometimes near, sometimes far: "Hey, you said you've strengthened the guards' reconnaissance and scout training, reducing the amount of direct combat, right?"

Nikolai tried to reach for the wound again, but failed and could only groan in pain.

“Thank you so much—those kids aren’t very good at fighting,” Monty’s voice had a chilling rhythm, “You saved me a lot of trouble when we were intercepting them.”

"Ah!" Nikolai roared furiously and slammed his fist on the ground again.

Monty's laughter was intermittent, but anyone could hear the sinister and malicious intent within it.

"Fortunately, the guards are still using the scout formation passed down from 'Coward' Lykan..."

"Guess who is the person within a hundred miles who knows the Lykan's twelve scout formations best, understands them most, and is most familiar with them, so that they can intercept them on their only route in the shortest time and at the fastest speed?"

At this point, a triumphant laugh from somewhere came:
"Hahahaha-"

Thales frowned slightly.

"Monty!"

Nikolai's eyes grew increasingly terrifying.

The combined mental and physical pain tormented him, and he gritted his teeth, cursing, "You son of a bitch..."

A long sigh came, seemingly the lament of a dying raven.

“Yes, troublemaker,” he said, seemingly regretfully, “now, it’s just you and me left.”

The Meteorite, kneeling on the ground, clenched his fists.

"Ahem... um..." At this moment, Thales coughed lightly: "Have you forgotten about me?"

The voices of the Death Crow and the Meteorite rang out in unison, without any politeness:
"Shut up!"

Thales raised an eyebrow, closed his mouth, and continued crawling to find his weapon.

Noon had passed, and the sun was beginning to set in the west.

“Listen, you troublemaker.”

“This is the desolate rocky land of Qiyuan City, the border of Exter. Further south lies the terrible desert,” Monty’s voice rang out coldly. “Fainting in the wilderness is quite dangerous.”

Nikolai let out a low growl.

"Give this boy to me, and I'll take him to Qiyuan City," the Raven clicked its tongue.
“We’ll be even then, and Lum and the other three will survive.” “What do you think of this proposal?”

Thales' expression shifted.

The air was quiet for a while.

For a moment, only the panting of Nicolai and Thales could be heard.

"A proposal?" The Meteorite looked up sharply, his gaze wary as he scrutinized almost every rock around him.

"why."

Why do you insist on him—once on this prince?

A strange laugh came from nearby.

“You know very well that he will play a key role in the war between Qiyuan City and the Freedom Alliance.”

The Death Crow's words turned sharp:

"We need him more than you do in Dragon Sky City."

"Don't block our way."

Thales scratched his head with a complicated expression.

There was another moment of silence.

“Big Mouth,” Nicolai said in a low voice.
Do you remember eighteen years ago?

The voice behind the rock fell silent for a moment.

I don't want to reminisce with you.

Monty's cold voice came through: "You know I hate this the most."

But at this moment, Nikolai, who had just lost his temper and roared, raised his head and burst into laughter.

Strangely enough, this time, the Deathrattle Raven did not interrupt him.

That year.

The Meteorite seemed to have finished laughing and spoke in a low voice: "Prince Sulier and his wife were assassinated. In the enraged state of the late king, the entire White Blade Guard was punished."

Thales felt a chill run down his spine—he had heard that same story again.

All that could be heard was Nikolai weakly saying, "Old Coleman took responsibility for me as the acting captain and resigned. Isaiah was disheartened and left the guard. Many other brothers were also implicated. And you, Monty, who was on another mission at the time, rushed back to Dragon City overnight to stand up for them."

"When negotiations failed, you simply didn't even give the king face, and the next day you threw down your sword and left Dragon Sky City without hesitation."

Monty didn't say anything.

The only sound in the air was the wind whistling through the cracks in the rocks, mournful and sorrowful.

Nikolai let out a bitter laugh.

"No, Big Mouth, I've known your personality ever since you secretly took me to prostitutes when we were young and on duty."

“You are not the kind of person who would run around like a horse for a lord, even if it is the king, just because he says a word.”

“Not to mention that you chased him all the way from Luanshiling to here for the sake of the Duke of Qiyuan City,” Nikolai’s voice carried a faint sorrow: “No, you are not.”

The meteorite suddenly straightened up, fiercely surveying its surroundings:

"Ned Monty".

The raven remained silent.

But Thales frowned.

“But now I understand,” Nikolai’s anger turned into a cold laugh: “Hahahaha, you, you!”

"you!"

His voice, filled with unspeakable resentment, echoed among the rocks.

Spread the word.

Several seconds later, Monty, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally spoke in a low voice.

“A troublemaker,” Deathraven said calmly.
"What do you understand?"

Nikolai snorted coldly.

He took a breath and then let out a long sigh, the sharp pain in his chest and back causing him to frown repeatedly.

But Nikolai gritted his teeth and whispered:

"Lord Ned Monty..."

“A few days ago, as the so-called vanguard, you arrived in Longxiao City earlier than the official delegation from Qiyuan City and before anyone else.”

"On the day of the court hearing, when the overall situation was settled, you brought news of the Star Kingdom's unusual activities on the border, thus putting the prince in the spotlight."

Thales gently closed his eyes.

The crow that cried out remained silent.

Nikolai continued speaking, each sentence, each word, carrying an even deeper and heavier chill:
"The Grand Duchess was protecting the little prince, but you stirred things up at the crucial moment, forcing Longxiao City to send him to Qiyuan City."

"After the prince went missing, at the same time that Dragon Sky City opened its gates, you arrived even earlier than us, the local bullies, and intercepted him."

"Hehehehe..."

The Meteorite sneered, "Everything you've done these past few days has baffled me, someone who knows you well... You've gone to far too much trouble for Qiyuan City, haven't you? And in this game, you've been far too coincidentally key?"

Monty interrupted him.

“You don’t understand,” the Death Raven said with a hint of regret. “You’re such a troublemaker, you don’t understand.”

Boom!
The severely injured Nikolai slammed his fist into the ground!
"Yes, I don't understand!"

He roared, "But now I understand!"

The Meteorite's eyes had never been so terrifying, even more so than when he had seen Rumba: "Thanks to this little prince, it was he who just reminded me: I underestimated the Secrets."

Thales's face stiffened.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Nikolai's voice became urgent, and he almost gritted his teeth as he said the following: "Eighteen years ago, Prince Sulier and his wife were mysteriously assassinated. The Starry Sky assassins entered as if they were in an empty place. No one saw them sneak in, and the White Blade Guard's tight defenses were completely ineffective."

No one responded to him.

Apart from the sound of the wind.

"No!"

The Meteorite roared, "Six years ago, even a tyrant like Rumba had to rely on disaster to distract and weaken us—because he knew that with each additional member of the White Blade Guard, the assassin's chances of success would decrease, and the possibility of a coup would diminish."

"But the assassin from eighteen years ago was able to bypass the heavy defenses of hundreds of elite guards and carry out a meticulously planned and successful assassination of the prince of the strongest nation in the Western Continent?"

At that moment, Nikolai's face was utterly distorted.

"There's only one possibility."

His left fist clenched tighter and tighter: "There's a traitor in the White Blade Guard."

There was still no response from the air.

Thales lowered his eyes and looked down at the ground.

Nicolai practically spat out each word through clenched teeth: "Over the years, I've suspected many people: Byrne Mailer, who was protecting the prince; old Coleman, who was the first to arrive that day; Justin, who was patrolling the perimeter; and I even suspected Isaiah, who was in charge of protecting the Black Sand Territory delegation at the time..."

The Meteorite took a deep breath as he finished speaking.

The rocks remained silent.

It seems even the stream is about to dry up.

"But you just reminded me, old friend."

As Nikolai spoke, a raging fire of both heartache and hatred seemed to blaze in his eyes:
"Among the White Blade Guards back then, especially on the day Prince Sulir was assassinated... the ones who knew the inside story best, understood the scout formation best, were best at evading detection, were most familiar with defensive loopholes, and were most capable of facilitating the assassin's plans..."

"Actually, it was someone who wasn't even there."

"An expert in stealth and assassination."

"Someone who has been lurking in Exter, in Dragon City, by the King's side, and within the White Blade Guard for decades..."

"Star Spy".

The air was so still it couldn't have been quieter.

No one answered him.

It was as if everything around us had fallen into eternal silence.

The meteorite remained kneeling on the ground.

But he no longer paid attention to the crossbow bolt behind him; instead, he trembled all over, his eyes struggled, and his facial muscles twitched slightly.

It seemed as if it was about to cry out in sorrow, or as if it was about to roar in fury.

His eyes were incredibly complex: disgust, pain, regret, resentment, sorrow, sadness, despair... an endless, mixed mix.

Finally, Nikolai shuddered and took a deep breath.

A breath of the coldest air in the height of summer.

Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help but shudder slightly.

"What do you say?"

The Meteorite asked the person behind the rock in a low voice, "Big Mouth, Ned, Monty... the Blade Oath brothers who joined the White Blade Guard with me."

Lord Serrey Nicholas, former commander of the White Blade Guard, spoke in a increasingly flat tone.

Finally, he restored his expression to its coldest, most indifferent, most ruthless, and most competent version:
"Or, should I call you..."

"From the Starry Sky Secret Academy—the Deathcrow?"

Thales gently grasped his longsword.

He sighed softly from an angle where no one could see him.

silence.

Still silent.

“Speak, Monty,” Nicolai said flatly, expressionless, as if what he was about to say was irrelevant:
"Tell me I'm wrong."

"tell me."

Another gentle breeze blew by.

The howling through the cracks in the rocks grew increasingly mournful.

Still silent.

Endless silence.

Until a discordant voice broke the silence:
Click—the sound of a crossbow being cocked.

"You know, about that suggestion just now—I've changed my mind."

The sound of the dying raven came, sounding calm, leisurely, and at ease.

"A troublemaker..."

But this time, his words carried a chilling, sinister murderous intent:
"You may die here."

(End of this chapter)